River Valley

Meehan Memorial Lansing Public library will host an informational meeting regarding the effect of the emerald ash borer on the ash trees in local woods, yards, parks and boulevards. According to state authorities, all ash trees will be dead or infected within the next five years. Neighborhoods and city beauty will be in jeopardy.
Learn about the effect of the ash borer and preventative action plans that can be taken. Program presenters include Tom Burke, Arborist, and Pat Short, Certified Applicator for Pest Control. The meeting will be held at the library in Lansing Thursday, April 9 at 7 p.m.

Kee High’s Post Prom has been scheduled for April 2.    This event is a substance-free celebration providing prizes, snacks and drinks, games and entertainment for Kee High juniors and seniors and their guests. Nearly 40 adult volunteers gather from midnight to 4 a.m. after Prom to offer a fun-filled event for everyone.
Hypnotist Pete Mamos from Wand Enterprises has been booked and his show is very popular with the students. This year Kee High will be sharing a hypnotist with Waukon High School, as both school’s Proms fall on the same day. Even with a discounted price, each school will still pay $1,250 for the show. The Post Prom Committee has been hosting Bingo, working concessions and held a bake sale in order to raise funds for Post Prom.

As the weather turns warm and the first signs of spring arrive, users of the river begin to think about the river and the annual Friends of Pool 9 river clean up. FOP9 Board members have selected Saturday, April 18 as the date of this years clean up event.  The earlier date was selected to allow high school students from area schools (Waukon, Lansing, and De Soto) to be involved, since the date doesn’t conflict with their high school prom weekend.  
In case of high water or threatening weather, May 1 has been selected as the alternate date. Organizers will locate backwater debris and assign boats (and volunteers) to each collection site.

Saturday, March 28, Main Street Lansing will be hosting its Annual Meeting, an evening that will include complimentary appetizers, plus a comedian. This event is open to everyone and will be held at TJ Hunter’s Banquet Hall in Lansing.
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. to sample appetizers and socialize with others in attendance. Silent auction items, including merchandise and services provided by Lansing area merchants, will be available to bid on, and there will be a 50/50 cash fundraiser to participate in as well on three separate occasions throughout the night. The auction and other fundraisers of the evening will help finance Main Street Lansing, the organization working to promote Lansing through tourism and economic development plans.
At 6:45 p.m., Dan Fisher, Executive Director of the Main Street Lansing, will give a brief overview of Main Street Lansing’s milestones of 2014 and goals for 2015. The annual meeting business will be brief and informative.

by B.J. Tomlinson

by B.J. Tomlinson
 
Maxine Dawn, who has lived at 120 Valley Street in Lansing for the past 22 years, smelled smoke at around 5 p.m. Thursday, March 5. Then she heard a whooshing noise and turned off the thermostat. The mobile home, heated with diesel fuel, filled with black smoke.
With the outdoor temperature at four degrees below zero, Dawn, in her nightclothes, ran across the street and yelled at neighbor John Gage, who gave her a jacket, and Lorie Gage called the Lansing Fire Department. Dawn and her neighbors watched as the home was consumed with thick black smoke and flames.
In addition to the mobile home and its contents, Dawn’s car, which was parked next to the trailer, was also destroyed.

The Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library will be hosting a presentation of the Allamakee County Conservation Board titled “Attracting Iowa’s Butterflies to our Backyard” Thursday, March 26 at 7 p.m.  The event will be open to the public and free of charge for those attending.  
Attendees of the program will learn about Iowa’s butterfly species including the 38 species that have been designated as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and what individuals can do to help in their own backyard..  
For more information on this program, contact the Allamakee County Conservation Board at 563-586-2996 or the Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library at 563-538-4693. Follow the Allamakee County Conservation Board on Facebook for more information on other public programs and events.
 

by B.J. Tomlinson

The Sixth Annual Bald Eagle Watching Day will be held Saturday, March 7 in Ferryville, WI at the Village Community Center located on State Highway 35, “The Great River Road.” This program is sponsored by the Ferryville Tourism Council and is free to the public. It is co-sponsored this year by Friends of Pool 9.
Event activities are planned from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with not only opportunities to see and learn about Bald Eagles but also enjoy refreshments. There will also be free children’s craft activities throughout the event.

An old-fashioned ice harvest served as the unofficial kickoff for Lansing’s Inaugural Winterfest, during which ice was collected from the Mississippi River for an ice sculpting demonstration in the plaza on Main Street in Lansing Saturday, February 21 (pictured). Other activities throughout the day included a hike up Mt. Hosmer, a chili cook-off, ice fishing, snowshoeing and indoor activities. Standard photo by Bob Beach.